Long Term Conditions Centre
The Long Term Conditions Centre at Fenwick2 offers NHS services in stroke care, Parkinson's Disease care, heart failure support and diabetes care, usually for patients who have been referred.
Services include:
Stroke Care
Raj Vaithilingam is the stroke co-ordinator for the New Forest and is always willing to hear from stroke patients needing advice and support. Raj attends stroke clinics in Hythe, Milford and Fordingbridge and also sees patients at home.
He can support and refer to a full rehabilitation and support service for people who have had a stroke and does regular three-monthly, six-monthly and yearly checks once patients have been discharged from hospital. He is interested in an holistic view, so the support offered might include anything from information on medication to how carers and family members are getting on.
His role includes offering support, advice and information about stroke-related illness, reviewing patients who have had a stroke, making recommendations to appropriate agencies, and offering a carer awareness and stroke awareness education programme.
Raj is happy for people to ring him or to make appointments to come and see him anytime, though as he is often at clinics or doing home visiting it's always advisable to ring and leave a message first. He can be contacted on 023 8028 6402.
Parkinson's Disease care
Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist Sheena Morgan has over 400 patients on her case load and as Parkinson's Disease is a long term progressive neurological condition people require constant regular monitoring throughout life.
Sheena sees people either at home or in nurse-led specialist clinics running at Hythe, Fenwick2, Lymington or Milford on Sea.
"It is preferable for people have to have a diagnosis by a neurologist or physician who specialises in Parkinson's Disease before I see them but I do take referrals from GPs and local hospitals," said Sheena. "I am also happy to talk to relatives and carers of people with Parkinson's Disease.
"I act as a specialist resource in Parkinson's Disease nursing knowledge, working closely with patients, carers, consultants, general practitioners, therapists and social services to maximise control of the condition and enable patients to maintain their quality of life."
Sheena works four days a week and can be contacted at The Long Term Conditions Centre, Fenwick2 on 023 8028 6404 between 8.30am and 10.30am.
Heart Failure Support
Heart attack is just one of the causes of heart failure - other things such as chemotherapy, drugs, high blood pressure, viral infection or large amounts of alcohol can also cause the heart to fail and Heart Failure Nurse Specialist Tina Perrin may sometimes deal with all of these things.
Tina's work covers a large patch across the New Forest and she works with patients referred from hospitals or New Forest GPs. She runs clinics at Hythe and Milford and hopes to run one at Fenwick2 in the future.
Tina only deals with patients who have been referred and who have an appropriate diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
"I see people at home if possible once they are referred but if they are well enough to come to a clinic I see them there," said Tina.
"Not everyone has had an operation but they have in common that the heart is not working well as a pump. My role is to support patients and to give advice if they have any problems, such as not feeling well if they have a change in their medication.
"I give people information that will help them to live as normal a life as possible and even if they are well they are never fully discharged from my care. They stay on the books in case they need support in the future."
Tina works four days a week between 8am and 2.30pm and can be contacted on 023 8028 6405.
Diabetes Care
The four part-time Diabetes Specialist Nurses for the Community based at Fenwick2 have a large area to cover. Their patch extends from Fordingbridge in the west to Botley and Hamble in the east and with diabetes figures increasing both nationally and locally they have plenty to keep them busy.
"We try to accommodate patients as much as possible by seeing them in their own area," said June Murphy, one of the team.
"We do home visits and run clinics in Hythe, in GP surgeries and at Totton Health Centre and from July 7 will be running a clinic at the Fenwick.
"We see a variety of patients with both Type1 and Type 2 diabetes, and do Type 1 and 2 group education, but all our patients are referred either from GPs or hospitals. They are patients who need to be put on insulin or who need to change from one type of insulin to another."
The specialist nurses' role is to help people to manage their diabetes and to give advice on any changes in their medication. The nurses do not prescribe however so they work closely with GPs and consultants.
They also work with practice nurses and GPs on increasing awareness and education about diabetes so that more diabetes care can be managed in the local community.
"People with diabetes may be with us for three months and then be discharged to the care of their GP, but they are on our books forever and they can always ring us if they have any problems," said June.
The Diabetes Specialist Nurses can be contacted on 023 8028 6401.